Africans League

The Henri Konan Bedie Bridge is a US$365 million public private partnership (PPP) project in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire and consists of a 6.4km highway and 1.9km bridge with three lanes in each direction across the Ebrié lagoon, connecting Abidjan’s residential Riviera district directly with the commercial district of Marcory. The new bridge eliminates the need to use the heavily congested 9km route via existing bridges and includes a toll station on the north side of the lagoon and footbridges for pedestrians. The project involves the design, construction, financing, commissioning and operation of the bridge. Bouygues Group is the main project sponsor and has a 30 year concession with the Ivorian Government to design, construct, develop and operate the new bridge. The bridge was opened to the public in December 2014. Financing AFC was the mandated lead arranger of the mezzanine tranche of the financing and provided an aggregate commitment of US$55 million comprising commitments to...

2016 is turning out to be a year of global disruption and uncertainty — disruption in the sense of dangerous ruptures and broken links, but also in the positive sense of innovation and fresh ways of thinking. How well can Africa manage these trends? The answer to that question will heavily influence the continent’s ability to pursue the deep transformation it needs. Brexit has sent shock waves through the global economy that could endanger progress in African countries. And for Africa it matters whether Britain will maintain its roles as a driving force behind international development initiatives and a leading aid donor. Brexit is also a symptom of broader trends: populist challenges to established power, rising mistrust of elites, deep concern over inequality, and social fragmentation. All these contribute to a sense that the world is spinning out of control. At the same time, 2016 is proving to be a year of inspirational global advances in technology, finance and energy, as well...

Women Advancing Africa Initiative launched at an intimate gathering of African women leaders hosted by Mrs. Graça Machel Johannesburg, South Africa, August 15, 2016 – The Graça Machel Trust (GMT) announced today that it will launch a pan-African initiative to ‘Multiply the Faces and Amplify the Voices’ of African women as a force for economic and social transformation. The Trust will convene the first-ever Women Advancing Africa (WAA) Forum in 2017 to highlight the critical role that women play in shaping Africa’s development. Over the past decade, Africa has experienced unprecedented economic growth but women and children have shared least in its prosperity. Today, African women constitute 70 percent of the informal economy, while one third of Africa’s formal small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are owned by women but only 47 % of these are financially served. Africa’s women are a powerful untapped force and creating more opportunities for women to participate in the economy w...

The first commercial planes in Africa to use biofuels carried 300 passengers between Johannesburg and Cape Town on July 15. The Boeing jets, operated by South African Airways (SAA), were partly powered by nicotine-free, high-energy "Solaris" tobacco plants cultivated by farmers in Limpopo Province. The flights represent a major step forward for "Project Solaris," a partnership between biochemists Sunchem SA, fuel specialists SkyNRG, SAA, and Boeing, which launched in 2014 with the aim of delivering "local, sustainable jet fuel production" at large scale. "This is very significant as it proves we can use this biofuel," says Ian Cruickshank, SAA Group Environmental Affairs Specialist. "It shows the industry is really changing. Four or five years ago biofuel was seen as futuristic, and today it's here." New industry Cruikshank says the flights will build confidence among investors, including the South African government, which will...